Do ungulates preferentially feed in forest gaps in European temperate forest?

Kuijper, Dries P. J.; Cromsigt, Joris P. G. M.; Churski, Marcin; Adam, Benjamin; Jędrzejewska, Bogumiła; Jędrzejewski, Włodzimierz

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.07.010

Cited by 178 publications

(172 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Observing wild ungulate behaviour under power lines as compared to similar control areas would be necessary to find out if ungulate behaviour is disturbed by power lines. Wildlife cameras (Dunne and Quinn, 2009;Kuijper et al, 2009) or GPS collars with cameras can be used for this purpose. Measuring faecal glucocorticoid concentrations possibly in combination with other disturbance indicators (Tarlow and Blumstein, 2007) could help to show if power lines are anthropogenic stressors.…”

Section: Knowledge Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of power lines on ungulates and implications for power line routing and rights-of-way management

Bartzke¹,

May²,

Bevanger³

et al. 2014

Int. J. Biodivers. Conserv.

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Thousands of kilometres of power lines exist and more are planned. Ungulates that range over large areas are likely to encounter power lines, but a synthesis of power line effects on ungulates is lacking. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) are suspected to avoid power lines up to distances of 4 km. In contrast, some forest ungulates preferentially forage in power line rights-of-way, cleared areas under power lines. We reviewed the factors that possibly influence avoidance and attraction effects of power lines on ungulates, construct a conceptual framework, and make suggestions on how to mitigate avoidance effects through power line routing and rights-of-way management. Power line construction, noise and electromagnetic fields are possible sources of disturbance, while rights-of-way management influences habitat use under power lines. Disturbance and altered habitat use can induce barrier and corridor effects, thereby influencing connectivity. Species-specific effects influence behavioural disturbance and habitat use. We found little evidence for behavioural disturbance of reindeer or forest ungulates under power lines. Forest ungulates could benefit from browsing in power line rights-of-way if they are managed to provide abundant and preferred forage as well as sufficient cover. However, power lines may facilitate access for hunters and predators. As a precaution, construction of power lines should be avoided in calving areas. To establish a causal relationship between the construction of power lines and potential avoidance, before-after-impact-control studies are recommended. More research is needed to make recommendations for the optimal design of power line networks.

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Section: Knowledge Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of power lines on ungulates and implications for power line routing and rights-of-way management

Bartzke¹,

May²,

Bevanger³

et al. 2014

Int. J. Biodivers. Conserv.

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“…The soil plot or track plot method is an indirect method of collecting population data that provides an estimate of relative abundance (Allen et al 1996;Kuijper et al 2009, LyraJorge et al 2008, Weckerly and Ricca 2000. In this method a defined area (plot) of soil is prepared by working the soil with a rake-hoe, steel garden rake or similar so that it is fine enough to show animal tracks which are observed after a given time, usually the next day (Allen et al 1996;Kuijper et al 2009.…”

Section: Passive Activity Index (Soil Plots)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this method a defined area (plot) of soil is prepared by working the soil with a rake-hoe, steel garden rake or similar so that it is fine enough to show animal tracks which are observed after a given time, usually the next day (Allen et al 1996;Kuijper et al 2009.…”

Section: Passive Activity Index (Soil Plots)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various derivations of the soil plot method have been used worldwide and studies including deer species have been conducted in North America, South America, Europe and India (Allen et al 1996;Bali et al 2007Kuijper et al 2009, Lyra-Jorge et al 2008, Weckerly and Ricca 2000. In Australia, one derivation of this method, the Passive Activity Index (PAI), was adapted to obtain data on dingo (Canis lupus dingo) populations (Allen et al 1996).…”

Section: Passive Activity Index (Soil Plots)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Also, the method is susceptible to poor weather such as high wind or heavy rain making the animal tracks unreadable (Allen et al 1996;, Kuijper et al 2009). At times the detection of the exact number of multiple animal entries onto a plot can be problematic if the tracks cross over each other or follow the same line (Allen et al 1996;.…”

Section: Passive Activity Index (Soil Plots)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Population estimation methods, home range and habitat use for wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) at Cressbrook Dam, south-eastern Queensland

Amos¹

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Estimating Abundance: Walked line transect distance sampling, aerial line transect distance sampling, vehicle based spotlight counts and faecal pellet counts were used to estimate or obtain indices of abundance of wild red deer at Cressbrook Dam. For each method the labour input, costs and precision were estimated. Spotlighting performed best overall when comparing labour and costs with precision, but had a number of limitations. Walked line transects gave estimates of adequate and repeatable precision but the method was expensive for both labour and equipment. Aerial survey estimates were quick, relatively cost-effective and comparable to walked line transect estimates, but not as precise as other methods. Faecal pellet counts were expensive in terms of labour, but were very precise. Choosing a method for counting deer will be site and circumstance specific, and some recommendations are provided to assist land managers choose a method. The density of wild red deer at the study site was very high -estimated to be between 26 and 30 deer/km 2 .Home Range: Wild red deer were fitted with GPS collars to provide location information every 90 minutes. Data were obtained from 22 collared deer -11 male (4 young adult, 7 mature adult) and 11 female (1 young adult, 10 mature adult). Annual home range was estimated using the 95% Local Convex Hull method to be approximately 359 ha for hinds and 1,323 ha for stags. The data indicate ii that the size of seasonal home range may be linked to seasonal conditions. Stags at our study site showed no elevated activity in summer compared to European reports. The home ranges at our study site were very large considering the high deer densities encountered.Habitat Use: Habitat preferences of GPS collared deer were explored by computing the resource selection ratios. The available and used resources for individual animals were compared at the home range level for various habitat components. The large data set (over 117,000 deer locations) allowed in-depth examination of possible factors that might affect habitat use. I examined foliage projective cover, aspect and slope to explore deer habitat preferences during the winter, summer and rut for day vs. night. Hinds showed a preference for using heavier cover in the day compared to night regardless of season, whereas stags only showed this preference in winter. Hinds showed a preference for southerly facing aspects in all seasons. Stags showed southerly and easterly preferences in winter and easterly preferences in summer. Hinds generally selected gentle to medium slopes, while stags chose moderate to steep slopes.Given the spread of deer generally in Australia most land managers will likely work towards population maintenance or reduction. Estimating deer abundance will be critical in monitoring progress towards set targets. If population reduction of wild red deer is desirable the best strategy may be to reduce the number of hinds. The home range data suggest that hinds have smaller home ranges than stags. Habitat preferences observed ind...

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Herbicides and herbivory interact to drive plant community and crop‐tree establishment

Stokely

Verschuyl

Hagar

et al. 2018

Ecological Applications

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Land management practices often directly alter vegetation structure and composition, but the degree to which ecological processes such as herbivory interact with management to influence biodiversity is less well understood. We hypothesized that large herbivores compound the effects of intensive forest management on early seral plant communities and plantation establishment (i.e., tree survival and growth), and the degree of such effects is dependent on the intensity of management practices. We established 225-m wild-ungulate (deer and elk) exclosures, nested within a manipulated gradient of management intensity (no-herbicide control, light herbicide, moderate herbicide, and intensive herbicide treatments), replicated at the scale of whole harvest units (10-19 ha). Vegetation structure, composition, and crop-tree responses to herbivory varied across the gradient of herbicide application during the first two years of stand establishment, with herbivory effects most evident at light and moderate herbicide treatments. In the moderate herbicide treatment, which approximates management applied to >2.5 million hectares in the Pacific Northwest, United States, foraging by deer and elk resulted in simplified, low-cover plant communities more closely resembling the intensive herbicide treatment. Herbivory further suppressed the growth of competing vegetation in the light herbicide treatment, improving crop-tree survival, and providing early evidence of an ecosystem service. By changing community composition and vegetation structure, intensive forest management alters foraging selectivity and subsequent plant-herbivore interactions; initial shifts in early seral communities are likely to influence understory plant communities and tree growth in later stages of forest development.

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Do ungulates preferentially feed in forest gaps in European temperate forest?

Cited by 178 publications

References 46 publications

The effects of power lines on ungulates and implications for power line routing and rights-of-way management

The effects of power lines on ungulates and implications for power line routing and rights-of-way management

Population estimation methods, home range and habitat use for wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) at Cressbrook Dam, south-eastern Queensland

Herbicides and herbivory interact to drive plant community and crop‐tree establishment

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